By Andrew Cristi
When it comes to overly sensationalized tabloid fodder females such as Meghan Markle and Omarosa Manigault, it seems as though everyone has something to say and an opinion to interject- and when it comes to commenting from a distance (or from behind a computer screen), commentary and kindness don’t usually go hand in hand. As the internet has provided everyone with a platform and the world has become more of an open forum, humanity seems to be slipping further away as nastier trolls keep coming out of the wood works full force with meaner things to say- and many days, it feels like the most awful person wins. Situations like these begs the question; “Are there any stand-up guys left?”
Enter Christian Keyes- a dying breed and a man so drenched in good values that his eloquence and chivalry almost seem foreign. Surprisingly enough, the well-polished performer has already worked with both recent headline-makers; the soon to be princess Markle, and the reality TV star turned White House Liaison Manigault, and unlike some others who may be quick to make assumptions without ever even having met these ladies, Keyes is steadfast in refraining to judge either of them, strong in his principles in the fact that everyone is going through their own situations and as long as they show him kindness and respect, (which he claims both ladies did), then he has nothing more to say. Introspective and intelligent, the thoughtful actor then goes on to open up a wider conversation about the black community as a whole and how they should never be pigeonholed into sharing one collective way of thinking.
And that keen insight and provocative way of thinking lends in part to why the beloved star has become such a fan-favorite lead in the world of faith based film and television- a world in which the actor takes no shame in being a part of. From both a business perspective, and a personal perspective, Keyes is proud to declare why these films have meant so much to him- one reason, of course, being the huge success they’ve brought him, and how astronomically well they’ve proven to do. With films like “I Can Only Imagine” now dominating at the box office, and actors and studios realizing that Netflix films in this genre are of plenty value, Keyes, one of the first actors on board as a pioneer of these projects, is now having the last laugh. But, beyond that, the benevolent Detroit native is also glad for being able to provide these types of films for his fan-base, as well as for society as a whole. Keyes drives a hard argument as he grows quick to state that films depicting topics like gun violence, or crime, are all too prevalent, and it doesn’t hurt to give the world some films here and there that promote hope and inspiration- and he’s more than happy to be a part of those projects and would never want to turn his back on the fan-base that appreciates them. The clever actor is also extremely happy to use these films to help unify audiences, thrilled to declare that faith is something that should transcend color- and he’s more than happy to help shed stigmas that faith based cinema is racially divisive, or somehow only for or about white people.
That said, Keyes is a true actor through and through, and while he is the type of man that takes fifteen minutes out of his day each night to pray with his son, and very much values these movies as a way to help a society he feels strongly about, he is also the kind of artist that seeks a challenge- and he gladly embraces roles that offer a far departure from who he really is. With aspirations to play anything from a serial killer to a stalker, the dedicated performer has big dreams to break the mold of his amiable leading man persona and dive into deeper character waters. First up? His new role as Charlie Riggs on the hot new legal drama “In Contempt.” Thrilled to show off a character that is drenched in many different levels, Keyes is nothing but smiles as he describes his complex role- not to mention the great cast he gets to act alongside. From his mouth- this is the kind of show that he would watch even if he wasn’t on it!
And then, of course, there’s “Supernatural”– another show that like many of our readers the swiftly rising star was a mega-fan of before becoming a part of. Not only does the hard-working actor feel blessed to be part of the fan-favorite juggernaut hit and partake in all the cool antics on screen, but even more than that, Keyes can’t help but wax poetic about his love for the show behind the scenes and talk about how lucky he feels to join a cast that he admires not only as actors, but also as people. Describing Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and the rest of the “Supernatural” company as extremely down-to-earth, blue-collar, and family oriented, the humble and gentlemanly Keyes fits right in- and fans couldn’t be happier to watch him join the pack!
With so many hot shows ahead and such an honorable disposition, Wingman knew we had to talk to the compassionate star who was taking the world by storm one hit at a time! Read below to see what Keyes had to say!
WINGMAN: So, tell us a little bit about “In Contempt” and what we can expect from the show.
CHRISTIAN KEYES: “In Contempt” definitely falls under the same umbrella of many of the great shows like “Law And Order,” and “How To Get Away With Murder”– fans who love those shows will love and watch this. There’s a need for a show like this. It features very relevant subject matter, it’s a witty show, it has a lot of heart, and it’s grounded in its cases and characters- illuminating both their strengths and flaws. When they show a character’s flaws in this show, they are beautifully, wonderfully and embarrassingly flawed, and I think that’s interesting. I would watch this show if I wasn’t on it.
WINGMAN: Who do you play, and what drew you to the role?
KEYES: I play Charlie Riggs. He’s a very confident- but not obnoxious, or arrogant guy. He’s very confident in his abilities as an attorney and simply as a human being. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man, and he does have an on again/off again relationship with Gwen, played by the wonderful witty, funny, and beautiful Erica Ashe. I think the dynamic between the two of them is a lot of fun! Ultimately, Charlie cares a lot about law, and what he does, and he wants to give the illusion that it comes off more effortless than other people. But, Charlie is a fun character- he’s not some arrogant schmuck, he’s not one note. He’s a complex song with a lot that he goes through, he’s fighting to get people justice, he’s navigating a relationship and whether he wants to keep it light and free or if he is going to take home twins tonight. He’s a fun guy!
WINGMAN: You’ve made quite a few faith based films including “The Preacher’s Son,” and “The Prayer Circle,” and you just starred in and produced “The Choir Director.” We just saw that faith based films do very well in Hollywood with the success of “I Can Only Imagine.” The director said; “150 million people attend Church once a month. Why are people shocked?” Talk about why making these movies are important to you personally, and do you feel marginalized that Hollywood seems to forget that there is a very huge fan base of black Christians that are also seeking faith in films- and that much of Hollywood looks at faith based cinema as almost part of white culture?
KEYES: You know what, I do feel like there are assumptions made, or boxes put around faith-based films, and it’s unnecessary and unfortunate. I don’t know if you saw “The Shack” based on that book? It’s very faith-based-ish, it’s circumstantial, and spiritual in nature, but the messaging behind it really helps us to transcend race altogether- and I think that’s what faith-based films should do. We don’t see black, white, Latino, Asian, we see human beings. I see that I’m on the phone talking to a human being that’s my human brother. So, having content like that- I believe that’s important, it makes us remember that we are all connected, we can believe the same things, regardless of color. We may come from different socio or economic backgrounds or histories, but, at the end of the day I believe that somebody created all of us. I believe there is a creator, or a God, somewhere. I think there is a necessity in this industry for projects that makes the audience think, wonder, and makes them grateful to get up in the morning, and makes them think that somebody- whoever they may call them- is out there. I say my prayers with my son every night- we’ve done it since he was three. Wherever I am, I shut everything down for fifteen minutes to make sure I call him so we can say our prayers- I need to embed that in him so that he appreciates something greater than us. And that connection universally allies, no matter what the color, no matter if you are rich or poor, we can celebrate that bond and unity- and these films do that. It doesn’t have to be; “Oh, Lord- another black church film!” Wait, a minute- some of these messages need to be heard and need to get out there. It’s powerful and important, and it’s unfortunately rare. We have so many shoot ’em up, bang-bang movies- and I love playing those characters, but I also love playing in a film that might give somebody some hope or might help somebody not commit suicide. That’s important to me.
WINGMAN: And you worked with Omarosa Manigault on “We Are Family.” Talk about that experience.
KEYES: It was great working with Omarosa. There’s a lot out there about what’s going on with her and her role in this current administration, but I don’t know much about that- and I don’t have anything to do with it. I know that she was personable and classy on set to me. She played my love interest, and I didn’t know how to take that coming into it, but I was open- and I’m glad I was, because she showed up, she was a professional, she did her job. She played a bit of a cougar and I was her kept man- she paid all my character’s bills and I had to jump when she said hop to it. It was interesting, and I liked that character because it was a departure from who I am in real life. I am into embracing a challenge that helps me grow as an actor, so it was good to work with her. She was very good to me, and that’s what matters. She was married to Michael Clarke Duncan- God rest his soul, and I was a huge fan of his as well. I wish the best for her, and I feel like coming out of losing her husband- who was so talented- but, coming out of that situation, we never know all the circumstances, so I try not to chime in or form a judgment on something where I don’t know all the facts or have enough information in order to make an educated opinion on. You never know what people are going through. But, if you know that there is so much unnecessary evil and negativity surrounding a certain situation, then I personally just try to not align myself with it just out of respect for not wanting to be associated with being nasty to my human brothers and sisters. Just for me personally, I’d be cautious about certain moves, but I can’t tell her what to do with her life, she’s a grown woman. A common misconception is that the black community is made up of one collective thought- and that’s incorrect- we don’t all share one single thought, we don’t even share ten. We are all made up of tons of different thoughts and ideas and that should be embraced. So, I would never want to pass judgment on someone I worked with who showed me kindness. And funny enough, right around the same time, I also got to work with a new member of the royal family; Miss Meghan Markle! We did a film called “Dysfunctional Friends,” and she played a photographer and I played this model character who was the black version of Zoolander, and I was basically trying to direct the photo shoot that her character was conducting, so she pops me in the face and tells me just to sit there and be pretty! [Laughs] And now she’s about to be the princess! That was one of her first acting gigs, but she definitely had chops- she was quite personable. It’s crazy to see how time flies. Flash forward to now and she’s about to be royalty!
WINGMAN: You also have a couple of movies coming up; “The Choir Director,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” and “The Family Business” as both an actor and producer. Talk about what we can expect from these films and what you like about working behind the film as a producer and writer.
KEYES: I’ve been writing forever. Even when I’m not working on all these other people’s amazing projects, I enjoy writing and creating my own- or finding great content a production home. I like to align creators with homes that are right for the vision. With “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” I am blessed to be the producer and the lead. It’s an assassin movie where my character comes home from the military and is looking for a regular job, and this defense corporation basically frames me for a murder and the way to get out of it is to come work for them- and since my character has a great skill-set, they have me remove some people; terrorists, sex traffickers, etc. It was different, and again, anything that gives me the opportunity to step into an entirely different life that I will ever be able to live are roles I love because they challenge and push you- and with that discomfort leads to great work. “The Choir Director” is the sequel to “The Preacher’s Son,” which did really well network wise and had a strong showing in theaters, and it’s still doing really well on Netflix- and it’s funny, because people used to scoff like; “Oh, you’re that actor with movies on Netflix,” and now I laugh and say; “I SURE AM!” I’m grateful! Netflix has been a blessing to me, and I am very grateful. So, “The Choir Director” ties up some unanswered questions of the previous film, and both of these are based on NY Times bestsellers by Carl Weber, and I was already a huge fan. It made total sense to make it a film- it had a built in fan-base, plus if we stack the movies with really talented people and a great production crew, then it would really work- and we got it, so people are loving it. So, 2018 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year and it seems as though there is even more around the corner that I’m unaware of- so I’m just excited and I’m staying gracious, grateful, and humble, and the success that I’m having so far is making me want to devote new energy into working even harder.
WINGMAN: You’re a hard working guy with tons of movies and shows on the way and you’ve already worked with great talent like Vanessa Bell Calloway and Vivica A. Fox. Who else would you love to work with, and what other roles would you love to play?
KEYES: Working with specific people? Clearly the usual suspects; if I could work with Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, Will Smith, Dwayne Johnson, Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Alec Baldwin- they’re all amazing. I study and observe everyone’s greatness regardless of color or gender. Great actors are great actors- so, I just take notes and appreciate their choices no matter what they look like. As for who I’d like to play? You know, I hate to say this in an article where I discuss my passion for doing spiritual films considering the fact that I do have a great relationship with God, but I would love to play a serial killer. [Laughs] I would love to play a stalker, a bank robber- I want to push the envelope. Again, in TV and film, I’ve been married two or three times, but in real life, I’ve never been married. I’m a dad, but I’m single. I want to push the possibility of what I can experience through my craft and through these temporary lives even more. I want to look for opportunities that continue to challenge me.
WINGMAN: Then, of course, you’re on a show that our readers LOVE; “Supernatural.” Talk about working with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, and can you spill any secrets from the show?
KEYES: Well, this is no secret- those guys are amazing! Jared is a tree- he’s like 6″5, and I’m 6″3! So, that’s different! I’m never on set with anyone who is actually taller than me. But, that whole show over there is super cool. The finale for this season is filled with tons of surprises- and I can’t say much else! [Laughs] I have to choose my words carefully. Let’s say surprises will come. Anyway, the show is amazing, and they are gracious and humble guys. I appreciate that they are both dads, and they are sensitive, real, blue-collar guys. They are hard-working, appreciative, and they really care about the fans. The “Supernatural” fans are very passionate and extreme at times, but they are very great at all times, and there is a lot of love there both from the fans and for the fans. It’s been amazing playing Michael on that show- and he’s not necessarily a nice guy, he’s sort of like Genghis Khan with wings, so it’s a lot of fun. It’s completely different from playing Charlie Riggs- I get to have powers and wings, I can fly, I can throw people, it’s incredible, and the cast is great. Mark Pellegrino, who plays Lucifer, he’s just brilliant and such a great guy. Samantha Smith is just fantastic, and also brilliant. I was a fan of the show beforehand, so, it’s a privilege to work with these super-talented people and everyone from the cast to the crew is really wonderful. It’s a well-oiled machine and a true family unit, and they just got picked up for season 14, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
*****
And of course, nothing makes fans happier than some good “Supernatural” scoop- as well as a great new addition to the cast, and Keyes perfectly fits that bill. Combine that with the actor’s hot new role on “In Contempt” and the jury is in; success!
“In Contempt” air Tuesday nights at 10/9C on BET.
Mike McCarthy